Two workers suffered burns, one seriously, and another was unaccounted for after a large explosion and fire Thursday night (Feb. 9) at a 20-inch high-pressure Phillips 66 pipeline near the Williams Discovery natural-gas plant in Paradis, according to St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne and Louisiana State Police. The pipeline is located at the Phillips 66-operated Paradis Pipeline Station.

Champagne said six workers were cleaning a pipeline when the fire broke out. Two were taken to St. Anne Hospital in Raceland with burns, and one of those was later flown to a burn unit in Baton Rouge, Champagne said.

The other was later released from the hospital and three others were treated at the scene, officials said.

Another worker had not been accounted for as of around 10:30 p.m. and a search was being conducted.

People who were nearby reported a "boom" from the high-pressure gas pipeline about 7 p.m., Champagne said. "A lot of people heard an explosion."

The high-velocity pipeline contains propane and possibly other similar gases, according to officials.

The reason for the explosion and subsequent fire are under investigation, said Louisiana State Police Troop B spokeswoman Melissa Matey.

"We're not sure if a valve or a gasket failed," Champagne said, describing the fire as a "large blowtorch" rising 30 to 40 feet high. "It's a scary fire, but it's burning off."

St. Charles Parish officials said they received a call at 6:42 p.m. by someone reporting a fire at the Williams Discovery plant, followed by more calls from residents who reported hearing an explosion.

Late Thursday, Phillips 66 released a statement saying the company is in the process of accounting for all employees and contractors who were working at the site at the time.

Late Thursday, parish and state officials said the fire was under control and according to Phillips 66, the had been blocked in as the remaining "product" in the line continues to burn.

St. Charles parish officials and Sheriff's deputies are working with state police, the state Department of Environmental Quality and representatives of both Phillips 66 and Williams Discovery in handling the fire.

Officials evacuated 60 homes within a couple of miles of the pipeline as officials let the fire burn off. That could take anywhere from a few hours to a few days, the sheriff said.

Those evacuated from the east side of La. 635 were allowed to return home late Thursday, but those evacuated from the west side of La. 635 will remain out of their homes for at least overnight Thursday, officials said. La. 635 connects La. 631 to U.S. 90.

Champagne said officials do not anticipate any environmental damage, and representatives of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality are working with parish officials, both at the EOC office and on-scene at the fire.

"It's a clean hot fire," Champagne said. "If it burns off, it shouldn't be a danger."

In the meantime, nearby pipelines were shut off, he said.

As of 10:15 p.m., nearby U.S. 90 had been reopened, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The fire prompted St. Charles Parish officials to shut down nearby parts of U.S. 90 and La. 631, or Old Spanish Trail, Thursday night according to the St. Charles Parish Emergency Operations Center.

Though the fire was originally believed to be at the Williams Discovery plant, St. Charles officials later said the blaze was actually at a pipeline. The pipeline is near the plant, which sits at 15849 Old Spanish Trail, just off U.S. 90.

In an email, Lauren Tarnow said she was heading to New Orleans from Houma on U.S. 90 when she saw large flames with "blue flashes exploding around the main flame." The blue bursts of light looked like electrical-transformer explosions she has seen in past, Tarnow said.

The American Red Cross opened a shelter for evacuees at the Edward A. Dufresne Community Center at 274 Judge Edward Parkway in nearby Luling. Recreation center employees are helping the Red Cross operate the shelter.

The St. Charles Parish EOC advises residents to monitor SCP-TV (Cox Cable Channel 6, AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 or www.scp-tv.com in St. Charles Parish) or 1370 AM in St. Charles Parish for updates.

Residents may also call the St. Charles Parish Emergency Operations Center, open 24 hours a day, at 985-783-5050.

To sign up for St. Charles Parish emergency text messages and e-mails, click here. To sign up for e-newsletters, click here.

Correction: An earlier version of this article, citing Louisiana State Police, incorrectly said that the Phillips 66 pipeline is at the Williams Discovery plant. A Williams representative said the pipeline is near the Williams Discovery plant, but not a part of the plant.